Aranel Neth
by Mischief's Angel
Summary: As one of the Children of Elvenking Thranuil, Lillaith was always expected to be a great elven princess. However, with the threat of enemies near her Mirkwood home growing greater, her father sees an opportunity to ensure her safety. Fate, however, has an odd way of changing one's plans. Pretty AU, takes place after the Hobbit. Full Summary Inside. Kili/OC T for slight violence
1. Introduction

As one of four Children of Elvenking Thranuil, Lillaith was always expected to be a great elven princess. However, with the threat of enemies near her Mirkwood home growing greater, her father sees an opportunity to ensure her safety. Fate, however, has an odd way of changing one's plans. Lillaith is sent away from the only place that she knows, and along the road her party is ambushed. Escaping from the fight, Lillaith wanders and finds herself lost in the wild. That is, until she is found by two brothers, out on a hunting trip. Her world is changed and the oddest part is that she's okay with that.

T for violence, because I'm super paranoid about people complaining about the rating. I don't really know why.

This is AU from the Hobbit Book and Movies (which haven't all come out yet). It takes place after the storyline of the Hobbit, and Kili and Fili never died in battle.

Yes, it is a bit of a sappy romance story. Don't like, then don't read.

I don't own anything except for Lilly and the plot to this story. (Caladhiel and Alassea are owned by other writers, who had some part in writing this story as well)

Caladhiel and Alassea are in other stories, but that won't effect this one.

Sorry about the long and boring intro. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey, Mischief's Angel here. If you like my story and want me to post more, please leave a comment or send me a message. I love hearing from people that read my story, whether it's positive comments or mild criticism (please no intense hate mail or anything like that). I hope you enjoy my story. Thanks for reading. **

**P.S. Sorry if there are grammar mistakes. I'm the queen of typos. **

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Lillaith ran into her room in tears, and collapsed face first onto her bed. How could he do this to her? Her mind raced with fear and anger at her father's decision. How could hers, or any father, send their child off to marry a stranger in some distant land? Fear claimed her mind. She laid there for quite some time and thought about the events of the day as they had past.

The day had started off normally for Lillaith. She spent the entire day as she usually did, at home. Her palace home in Mirkwood was the only place she knew, and she never intended to change that, nor did she ever question it. As the youngest daughter of the Elvenking Thranduil, she was always expected to behave in a manner like that of a proper elleth princess. Her mother had died when she was still a young child, and her father seemed to grow more distant from everyone when it happened. Because of this, Lillaith was raised by her older siblings: her sisters, Caladhiel and Alassea, and her brother who took the majority of the job, Legolas. For an elf, she was still very young, probably around sixty years of age. She was still considered the "baby" of the royal family, which she had never thought twice about being. She was always protected, and she never left the palace or had any adventures outside of her own garden. Always proper, polite, and obedient: This was her life, as decided by her father, and this is what she knew.

Sometime near noonday, her day began to change for the worse. Her father had been busy making arrangements for some matter she bared no interest in and her siblings were all off somewhere. It was a remarkably slow day for her. She closed the book she had been reading and tossed in onto her desk.  
"I have read all of these books dozens of times," she sighed to herself. With this restless feeling she had, there was nothing to do but walk around looking for anything of interest. As she walked, her feet made no sound on the stone floors. She was very small for an elf, and this could be used as an advantage when she decided to explore unnoticed. Not that there was anything new to explore in her boring old house, right? After walking for some time, she had made her rounds about the palace. She sighed and stopped along one of the quieter hallways, until her ears picked up and interesting sound. Light, armored footfall coming down the corridor.  
"But, no one ever comes back here…" she thought, as she moved to a corner where she could not be seen. Two of her father's guard walked down the hallway and stopped toward the middle. One of them opened a door that had been concealed in the wall and the two passed through it. After waiting some time, Lillaith saw them come back out the same place in the wall and leave. They were talking to each other about something, but, as always, she didn't pay any mind to it. She carefully crept over to the wall and pushed on it. She could tell this was where the door was, but it was heavier than it appeared. The guard had made it look terribly easy, but it was all Lillaith could do to force it open enough to slip inside. She walked down the staircase it led to and through another, much lighter door. The large room she walked out into looked like that of a prison. There heavy, iron cell doors lining the walls that led into smaller rooms.  
"It is a prison," she gasped quietly.

As she was walking, she nearly tripped over something that had been leaning against the wall. It was a sword wrapped in leather. She picked it up and carefully unwrapped part of it. It was an odd sword, the likes of which she had never seen before. She knew not where it came from, but she knew that it wasn't of any elf make. Hearing what sounded like the door reopening, Lillaith quickly tucked the sword away beneath her light cloak and scurried around to find another way out. Finding another door, she pushed past it and hurried out into a familiar hallway. The door, like the other one, disappeared into the wall. She silently hurried to the library and shut the door behind her. She placed the sword on the reading table in the middle of the extensive, yet unused library. She was the only person that ever came in here, at least as far as she knew. She climbed one of the elegantly carved wooden ladders to seek out the one book that she had never taken much interest in. She found it tucked away in the back corner of the shelf she searched, and pulled it out. When she reached the table, she wiped the layer of dust that concealed its cover. The cover read something along the lines of "Runes and Cultures of Arda" in an old elvish language. The book itself was fairly large, but had an odd feeling that she knew just where in the book to search. After matching the runes that were lightly engraved on the swords to that in her book, she found her answer.  
_"Dwarves…"_


	3. Chapter 2

**The beginning is dragging just a little too much, but the next Chapter will pick up with some action and a few familiar dwarves. Thanks, again, for the views!**

**Seriously though, please leave some comments or constructive criticism or any type of review really. I really appreciate the feedback! And if you don't want to post commentary or feedback, send me a Message and tell me what you think. (Please no hater's mail...not cool)  
**

**~Mischief's Angel **

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This was odd. Lillaith could never recall having seen any dwarves in Mirkwood. In fact, she had never seen any dwarves at all. With that and the prison cells, she wondered what else her father was keeping from her. She heard the door begin to oped and she quickly placed the sword under the table. Her brother, Legolas, entered the library. She wasn't one to keep things from anyone, especially her brother, but she thought that this would be best to talk about another day.  
"Brother," she stood and politely nodded.  
"There you are," her brother said, his happiness looking almost forced.  
He walked over to her, and she smiled sweetly as she usually did. The open book caught his eye and he turned it toward him. Noticing the dwarves runes, his happy expression hardened.  
"What is this?" he said, even though he already knew the answer.  
"Just an old book I found," Lillaith said casually, "Nothing interesting. Tales and information of these other races seem terribly boring."  
In truth, she was only lying to cover her curiosity. Having a very protective brother and curiosity were two factors that often clashed. Legolas just closed the book and moved it away.  
"Father would like to speak with you, Lillaith," Legolas said, with his usual, hard to read expression.  
Lillaith knew as soon as he used her name, this was not a trivial matter. He generally called her "Nessa Taari." or "Little Queen".  
"Come," he said, forcing a slight smile and offering her his arm.

She took hold of her brother's arm and talked happily while they walked and he listened. Her happy story came to a sudden halt when they reached the doors of the main hall and went in. Thranduil sat on his throne speaking with another elf about something. When he saw his youngest daughter, he dismissed the other elf. Legolas drew back a yard or so, while Lillaith stayed in the company of her father.  
"Ada." she said sweetly with a small bow.  
Normally she could merit the smallest smile, but his face remained unchanging and unreadable. This was never a good sign.  
"Lillaith, are you aware of the growing danger to our home?"  
"Yes, Ada. But…I know very little of it. Legolas and Caladhiel will not tell me more about-" Lillaith started, but she was cut short by her father's gesture to stop.  
"Ada, I can help," she continued after a moment, "Legolas and mysisters: you taught them to fight and protect their home. I could learn and help them. I could-"  
"No," Thranduil said flatly and rather harshly.  
She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was contemplating a difficult decision. Finally, he stood.  
"I have made arrangements with Beriadan, a young elf lord of Celondim. He has agreed to take you as his wife." Thranduil said, still maintaining a calm voice.  
"What?!" Lillaith demanded, panic seeping into her voice.  
"I need to know that you will be safe and protected. This is how I intend to do so. Celondim has always been a safe city and your new husband will take good care of you."  
"You cannot do this! There must be a way other than to send me off to marry some stranger!" Lillaith fumed, partially angry and partially terrified of the tone with which she had just addressed her father. Very few were brave or foolish enough to address the King of Mirkwood in such a manner.  
"I have come to my decision, not as a king but as a father, Lillaith. It is not safe for you here. Not anymore." Thranduil commanded.  
The room grew silent for another moment. After holding her father's gaze for as long as she dared, Lillaith looked down and sighed.  
"I understand father," she said quietly, "I will accept."She then walked quietly out of the main hall. Giving her space and time to think, Legolas decided against following her.

As soon as she turned a corner in the hall, Lillaith's walk turned into a run. She ran straight to her room. After entering, she ran over to the bed and collapsed onto it crying. How had her perfectly normal day gone so wrong?

The following morning, further arrangements were made for the marriage. Lillaith would have to travel to Celondim and live there. She was to leave the only place she had ever known to go off and marry someone strange to her. No matter how terrible this seemed, she knew that It was her duty to her king to do so. Not wanting his youngest to travel alone, Thranduil arranged for a small convoy of guards to escort her to Celondim. It would be perfectly safe, so he hoped. He wanted the separation to be quick, for he knew that it would be harder on Lillaith if he delayed it for long.

A few all to short days later, Lillaith had said her goodbyes. She knew that even though she was traveling a good distance away, her brother and sisters would come and see her often. This thought greatly comforted her. The second youngest child of Thranduil, Alassea, was currently in Rivendell, and Lillaith would stop there and stay with her for a short time, before moving on to her new home. Her escort now moved on toward the mountains. She cast a glance over her shoulder at her previous home. The palace slowly disappeared through the trees, and she wondered when she would see it again.


	4. Chapter 3

**Big thanks to the people that read up to this point and to the awesome people that left reviews. I honestly wasn't sure if anyone would like my story, so you guys are really awesome! Please read and Review. Thanks!**

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Hours of travel quickly turned into days. Lillaith, being unused to the traveling, could find little sleep along the road.  
"My lady," one of the guards called back to her, "We will cross the mountain path shortly. Then it is only a short way on to Rivendell."  
This news was a serious relief to a very tired Lillaith. She nodded to him and smiled. She knew that soon she could, once again, rest easily in a great city of the elves. She also smiled at the notion that she would soon see her dear sister, whom she had missed through all of this. She watched the road for a while, before making note of the changing surroundings. The trees grew scarcer and the grass tuned to rock. It was summer, so the mountain pass would not be so harsh to travelers like it was in the winter or fall. Lillaith let her mind wander as her horse went on forward. The guards in the front of the company did not have such an at piece mind set. They could not turn back, yet, at this rate, if they continued on they would be caught on the mountains at night. No matter what the season was, that was a dangerous risk. They would have to be on watch and travel through the night.

The journey went on unhindered until the sun disappeared behind the mountains that they were passing through. From that point into the night, every sound or shadow made Lillaith jump in the saddle of her horse. The truth was that she had heard terrible stories of the mountains after nightfall, and did not want to stay around and find if they were more than just tall tales. The sky seemed to go black until the stars themselves disappeared behind some from of clouds. The strange noises increased and grew louder, until one of the guards called the company to a halt.  
"What is it?" asked another.  
Terrible noises from seemingly strange creatures sounded through the bitter night air.  
"Goblins!" replied the first, alerting the others to the situation.  
Lillaith's breath caught in her throat. She gripped the reigns of her mount tighter and hoped that the trouble would pass. She tried to convince herself that she was perfectly safe, but she could not keep her mind from racing and her hands from shaking violently.

The next events occurring seemed almost a blur to her. The goblins appeared from nowhere, and looked like nothing more than silhouettes against the dark grey of the mountain landscapes. The elven guard drew weapons and slayed a great deal of the goblins with relative ease, for they had been trained in this type of defense. However, the more goblins that fell, the more seemed to come from the very rock. Lillaith's horse reared up onto its back legs, throwing its rider to the ground, before it bolted off into the dark. Many other horses did the same. Lillaith tried to move, but found herself paralyzed with the fear that flooded her mind. One of the goblins drew a bloody knife of sorts and ran toward her. She moved back, and screamed for no apparent reason other than not knowing what to do. An elven arrow struck the goblin and it fell to the ground. The clanging of weapons and the screeching of goblins was a deafening combination to her. She finally worked up the courage to move, and she crawled toward the edge of the scene. When she stood, she began to run away from the noise and the fighting. She tripped over a large branch on her way, and found herself on the ground again. When she cast a glance back at the branch, she noticed something next to it. The elf soldier that had sounded the alert now laid on the ground, lifeless, with blood poured across his face. Lillaith might have screamed again, had her voice not left her. She stood and continued to run. She did not dare cast another glance back. She just kept running. She felt as thought something was following her; Whether it was a goblin or just her imagination, she could not tell. She just kept her pace. After a while, her mind cleared enough for her to seek out a place of shelter. She found a small crevice of rock that could be considered a small cave. She quickly crawled inside and curled up into the corner. The night was silent. She could do nothing more but sit there and try to stop the shaking that racked her small body.

The night seemed to last forever. Every time she allowed sleep to take her, she would hear the sound of goblins and swords in her mind and it would frighten her awake. Every time that she closed her eyes, she could only see the face of the fallen elf that laid dead there. She felt weak and useless. She just sat there until morning. When the sun finally crept up, the land seemed covered in a red haze. It felt almost as thought the sun itself were drenched in the blood as the ground had been.

In what felt like days, the day was half past. Lillaith began to stir and was about to make it to her feet when she heard footsteps on the nearby rock. These footsteps were heavier than that of a goblin, and they approached where she was quickly. The sound was soon drowned out by the strong beating of her own heart that pounded in her ears. Finally, someone rounded the corner that revealed her crevice in the rock. She looked up and her eyes met the steel grey eyes of another traveler: a dwarf. He had long blonde hair that had thick braids throughout it. He was of a stout build, in comparison to the elves that Lillaith was used to. They just stood there looking at each other for the longest time. She seemed shocked. He just seemed confused. She heard a voice from around the rock.  
"Fili, where did you get off to?" asked the voice.  
Another dwarf came into view and stared at the other dwarf, as if waiting for him to respond. Not getting a response, he followed the other dwarf's line of sight and saw Lillaith sitting huddled in the rock.  
"Uhh…." was the only sound that came from him.


	5. Chapter 4

**Please feel free to leave or message me reviews, comments, suggestions, or constructive criticism. Thanks for reading!**

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Not knowing what to do, and suffering from the stress and lack of sleep from the past few days, Lillaith just sat there and let tears stream down her face as she quietly cried. The two dwarves just looked at each other, then at her, then back at each other. They were quietly gesturing to each other about what to do. The second dwarf walked over to her and knelt down to the ground in front of her.

"Hello…" he said quietly.  
Lillaith tried to wipe the tears away looked at the stranger in front of her.  
"What are you doing back here?" he said gently, almost as though he would scare her if he spoke otherwise.  
"H-hiding. I…there was…and," she choked out between tears.  
"Come here," he said as he held out his hand to her.  
She looked at him cautiously.  
"I won't hurt you. Now, come on."  
He moved his hand a bit closer to her, and she slowly took hold of it. He helped her up off of the cold rock. She stood and looked down at herself. Her dress was dirty and torn, and her shoes were covered in dirt and scratched from all of the rock she ran over. She thought to herself that this was not a presentable state to be in when meeting new people. She dusted the skirt of her dress, smoothed her hair, and tried to look as put together as she could…which wasn't very put together at all.  
"H-hello," she said quietly.  
"How long have you been hiding back here?" the dwarf asked.  
"Since yesterday…I think," she answered, nervously fidgeting with the end of one of the messy braids that ran through her hair.  
"Well, there's nothing to hide from now. Where did you come from?"  
"I was t-traveling with more elves in the mountains…and then there were lots of goblins. It is hard to remember exactly what happened…" she stuttered.  
"That would explain the dead goblins were crossed earlier," the blond dwarf added in, to his companion, "but there was no sign of any elves. Any survivors must have headed off and taken the fallen with them."  
"What's your name, elf?" the second dwarf asked her.  
"Lillaith," she answered.  
"My name's Kili, and that is my brother, Fili," Kili said, gesturing at himself and then his brother.  
Fili said nothing and just gave a half hearted wave.  
"It is very nice to meet you both," Lillaith said, remembering her polite, princess like manners, "Um…do either of you know how I might get to Imladris?"  
"Im-what-dris?" Kili asked, rasing an eyebrow.  
"Rivendell."  
"Oh! Yes. Of course! We're headed that direction ourselves, as a matter of fact. Why don't you come along with us," Kili said, with a smile.  
"Yeah…uh…Kili? A word?" Fili cut in.

The two went off to the side for a moment and talked.  
"Kili?" Fili asked calmly.  
"Yes?"  
"Have you lost your mind?! She's an elf! We can't trust her!" Fili said, his irritation now obvious in his voice, "And since when are we going that direction?!"  
"Since…right now!" Kili stated happily.  
During this conversation, the two were unaware that Lillaith could hear them, but she remained silent and tried not to be rude by listening in to their not-so-private conversation.  
"Come on, Fili. She's lost in the mountains with no idea where to go, no weapon, and…well nothing at all!" Kili argued, "It wouldn't kill us to take her part way to the elves. From there she can find her way into Rivendell, and we're gone. Okay?"  
Fili let out a deep sigh.  
"Okay. We'll take her. But only part of the way. I don't want mixed up in the business of the elves any more than I have to!" Fili agreed.  
"Great!" Kili said, spinning around to face Lillaith, "Yes, we can take you to Rivendell! You are sure that's where you want to go, right?"  
"Oh, yes please. My sister is there, and she'll know what I should do from there," Lillaith said, happiness finding its way into her voice and her tired face.

The dwarves brought her back to a temporary camp that they had set up for hunting, and gave her something to eat. After that, the three started along the road toward the hidden valley of the elves.


	6. Chapter 5

**Sorry that this chapter took longer to post. With New Year's and stuff I had less time. Anyway, here it is. Enjoy and Review!**

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The journey would take the group a few days, so they decided that traveling through the night would do them no good. They elected to stop in the late afternoon, as soon as they found a suitable place to camp, and start again early in the morning. As soon as they had stopped, Kili gathered some wood for a fire and started on something to eat. Fili was busy scouting out the surroundings more thoroughly. Lillaith sat near Kili and watched silently as he failed to create fire. Every time the wood would emit a spark, the wind blew any hope of a fire away and Kili groan or mutter something in another language. When it happened yet again, Lillaith let out a very slight laugh. Kili just looked up at her and sighed. Just when she expected him to be upset with her for laughing or give up, a smile grew on his face and he started to laugh as well.

"I don't see you over here trying," he teased, as Lillaith failed at hiding her laughs.  
"I would not be very helpful. I have never built a fire before," she admitted quietly.  
"I'll show you. Come here," he said, gesturing for her to take a seat next to him.  
She did as he said, and moved over beside him. When she did, he reached out to take her hand, but she jerked it back fearfully.  
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said kindly, "Trust me."  
Lillaith slowly reached out and let him take hold of her hand. He placed his hand on the back of hers and turned her palm upwards. With his other hand, he put an almost oval-shaped iron band in her hand.  
"What does this do?" Lillaith said, examining it.  
"It makes a spark to set the wood pile on fire," he explained, "Here."  
He placed the band over her fingers, and formed her slender hand into a fist, so that the band ran over her knuckles. He picked up a rock that he'd already been using and placed it in her other hand.  
"Now," he continued, "Really quickly scratch the rock down the iron, toward the wood."  
Lillaith had to try this a few times before a spark shot off of the iron. When she finally got that, she giggled happily, and Kili gave her a smile. After a few more tries, one of the sparks caught in the wood and the fire finally started.  
"Perfect," Kili chuckled happily, "Now, we just have to keep it going for a while. We do need dinner, after all and Fili will be back any minute complaining about how hungry he is."  
He continued talking, and Lillaith just watched him. She had never met anyone like Fili and Kili before. In a way, they fascinated her. She just watched Kili talk and shift the logs in the fire. After some time, Lillaith realized that Kili had stopped talking and was now looking at her, as though expecting her to speak.  
"Don't you think so?" he said.  
It then occurred to her that, though she was watching him, she hadn't really been paying attention to what he was saying. She nodded slightly, as response, and Kili continued whatever it was that he was saying.  
"Oh, good. You got the fire going," Fili noted as he walked over and sat on the other side of Kili.

They had, that night, a meal of whatever it was that Fili and Kili could catch earlier that day. Lillaith didn't know for certain what it was, but she ate it happily anyway. After they ate, they all sat around the fire sharing stories. The dwarves did most of the talking, because Lillaith had no stories of her own to share.  
"So," Kili said, "aren't elves supposed to be really used to being outdoors?"  
"That depends," Lilly laughed, "Aren't dwarves supposed to have beards?"  
Fili looked at his little brother before falling on his back laughing. Kili just gave him an irritated look.  
Lillaith had earlier noticed that Kili looked different. She hadn't seen many dwarves at all, but there was a general understanding of what they usually looked like. Kili was slightly taller and leaner than what she had expected. Rather than intricate braids and a beard, like Fili, Kili just had wavy brown hair and scruff.  
"That's mostly the older dwarves," Kili tried to explain.  
"It's 'cause he's too young," Fili cut in, sitting back up.  
"That is not the only reason!" Kili responded almost defensively, as if trying not to look bad, "It depends on a lot of other factors too!"  
"Like what?" Lillaith asked.  
"Like, well…choice of weapon," Kili said, still thinking about what to say as it came out, "I, unlike most dwarves, use a bow. That's not an easy thing to use with some bushy, funny looking beard."  
"I would imagine so," Lillaith commented.  
"So, what's your story, elf? Why were you and the other elves out here?" Fili asked, with a bit more of a serious demeanor than his brother.  
"Well, the others were traveling with me to Celondim. The plan was to stop in Rivendell, but I got separated and now I am here," she said.  
"Why Celondim?" Fili went on to ask.  
"For my wedding. I am promised to be married to someone there."  
"Who?" Fili inquired further.  
"I do not know. I have never met, or even seen, him before."  
A strong look of disappointment grew on Kili's face. He tried to hide it by staring into the fire, but his brother noticed it. Rather than to make something of it now, Fili pushed the thought to the back of his mind for later.  
"We should all get some sleep," Kili said solemnly, after a minute of no one speaking, "Since we've only got the two blankets, you can take one. Fili and I will take turns on watch, and whoever's turn it is to sleep, they'll get the other one."  
"Fair enough," Fili agreed, "I'll take the first watch."


	7. Chapter 6

**A big thanks to all the awesome people that reviewed and liked my story. I edited the line spacing, so the text is now easier to read. I apologize for not thinking of that sooner, and want to thank a great reader for the suggestion! Please Comment and Enjoy!**

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Kili was startled awake by his brother shaking him.

"Kili," fili whispered in a stressed tone, "Wake up!"

"What is it?" Kili asked, rolling over and swatting his brother's hand off of his shoulder.

"Wake up!" Fili persisted.

Finally, Kili stood up and let his tired sight adapt to the dark. He grabbed his bow and strapped the quiver of arrows to his back.

"Is it my turn on watch already?" Kili yawned.

"No." Fili admitted.

"Did you see something?!" Kili panicked quietly, looking around for any sign of trouble.

"Um…worse," Fili sighed.

"Oh, spit it out, Fili!" Kili groaned, becoming irritated with this already.

"It's the elf," Fili said.

"What?" Kili sighed, feeling rather let down after expecting an all out assault, "What about her? She is still alive isn't she?!"

"Unfortunately. Make our trip faster," Fili muttered, earning a whack to his arm.

"That's not funny. What's wrong?"

"I think she's awake. I was on watch and I heard her start crying."

Kili's face went flat.

"That is why you woke me up at this foul time in the middle of the night?!" Kili dropped his bow back to the ground with a growl.

"I don't know what to do! She likes you better anyway!" Fili said, pushing Kili toward Lillaith, "So, you go fix it!"

Before Kili could protest, he was already too close. Any argument would be useless. He quietly sat next to where Lillaith was laying. He paused for a moment and then put his hand on Lillaith's shoulder.

"Lillaith?" he asked quietly to see if she was, indeed, awake.

Before he could say anything else, Lillaith instantly sat up, threw her arms around Kili's waist, and sobbed into his shoulder.

"I was rather hoping we were past the crying part of the trip," Kili sighed, returning Lillaith's embrace, "I'm no good at this sort of thing, but why don't you tell me what's wrong. Okay?"

Kili tilted her chin up and looked into her sad, blue eyes. He gently wiped away the tears that ran down her face, and waited for her to say something.

"I…I do not know what is wrong," Lillaith choked out between sobs, "I am just…afraid! I can not even match this fear with words."

"Come here," Kili said, pulling her back to him, and holding her close against his chest, "I'll take care of you. Don't be scared. Soon, we'll get to Rivendell, and you'll be safe."

Lillaith sighed happily at the thought of being safe in Imladris. She went on talking about it for a short time. She had never been there but she heard that it was very beautiful.

"It is rather nice," Kili admitted softly, "Though, not really my type of place."

"You have been there?!" Lillaith asked, as the sadness left her face and her eyes lit up with curiosity.

From then on, the conversation turned to Kili explaining to Lillaith all about the valley of the elves, and how he ended up there. Lillaith loved every word of his stories, and they tended to put her mind at ease. He did, however, leave out the more dangerous parts of his tales. She was already afraid of traveling in the mountains, so he didn't want to scare her further with the full truth of past events.

"Fili," he called back over his shoulder, "I'll take me watch now. You get some sleep."

It didn't matter that he offered that, because when he looked back Fili had already curled up and fallen asleep next to the sparking embers of the fire. Kili rolled his eyes and went back to talking to Lillaith. She had fallen asleep as well, though. She was still holding onto Kili, with her head on his shoulder. Kili just shrugged and kept holding her while he watched over the small campsite.

Kili sat there and thought more about his current "adventure". This elf confused him. As one of Durin's folk, he knew that he was supposed to hate the elves. They never helped anyone, really, and they always just kept to themselves. The elves had always seemed almost condescending toward he and his kin. Not Lillaith though. While most elves were hardened with stern wisdom and hundreds of years of wars and kingdoms, she still seemed so innocent and sweet; she was like a young rose that had yet to endure a harsh winter. He admired this innocence in her. It never failed, yet, to make him smile.

The rest of the night passed quietly. Fili and Kili continued to rotate shifts throughout the night. Usually, whenever one would wake the other to switch, it was almost silent. The last time, however, Fili had a question preying on his mind.

"Kili?" he asked in a whisper.

"Yes?" Kili whispered back.

"Why do you suppose that she likes you so much?"

"I…I don't know. I don't think she does like me all that much though, so don't make anything of it."

"Doesn't like you all that much?!" Fili scoffed, "You can't stand up, because she attached to your waist, Kili. You had to toss a rock at me to wake me up, because you won't move her!"

"I don't want to wake her, is all," Kili shrugged.

"Oh, please! You. Like. Her." Fili teased, "It's very obvious. The way you talk to her and look at her! And all of those bright smiles she gets from you!"

"Fili, it's nothing. Really. I'm just trying to be friendly. I don't mean anything by it." Kili sighed, growing quiet.

Fili rolled his eyes and sat on a nearby rock to watch over the camp. Kili just looked down at Lillaith. He didn't really like this elf…did he?


	8. Chapter 7

**Sorry that it took me so long to post Chapter 7 on here. Things kept coming up, so it took a while to get it all written. Anyway, here it is. Please enjoy and review!**

**~Mischief's Angel**

* * *

A few more days past, and every day Lillaith grew more accustomed to camping and spending time with the dwarves. She found that she actually really liked it. There were dangerous parts of traveling through the wilderness, of course, but Kili always protected Lillaith from them. It felt to Lillaith that, at this rate, she would never reach Rivendell. That part of that she was worried about was, after a while, she didn't mind the thought. Rivendell seemed less and less important to her every day.

"If we travel into the night, we can reach Rivendell tomorrow. Then we take Lillaith there, and we're on our way," Lillaith overheard Fili saying to Kili.

"Alright," Kili sighed in return, "We'll keep going."

For some reason, unknown to her, Lillaith had the sudden urge to delay there arrival. She liked this, and every bit of her wanted to hold on to it. Before she could think twice about it, she came up with an excuse to stop for the night. If she only had one night left with her newest friends, she would take it. She faked a pained sound and collapsed onto the ground. She then mentally scolded herself for this dumb idea. Kili quickly turned back and ran to her.

"Lilly!" he called out as hurried to her. (He had given her this nickname along the road because he felt her elvish name was too long. She didn't mind and the nickname stuck.)

Lillaith sat up slowly, helped by Kili. He looked very worried, while Fili just looked confused.

"Are you alright?" Kili asked her.

"Yes…I think so," Lillaith answered in a small voice that deliberately made her sound very weak, "My head was stirring and I suppose I lost my balance.

"You're probably tired…or hungry," Kili said, trying to reason out the situation, "We can stop for the day if you would like, and get some rest."

"No, that will take too long!" Fili cut in, "I'm sure she'll be fine!"

"We have to stop!" Kili insisted with a harsher and more protective tone than Lilly had ever heard from him.

"Alright," Fili consented, surprised at his brother's intense reaction, "But we start off all the earlier tomorrow."

Their camp was different that night. There was no fire, no laughing or story telling, and they ate very little. They were close enough to Rivendell that they could be safe without someone to keep a watch, and there was no fire to draw unnecessary attention. The dwarves quickly faded off into sleep, but for Lilly rest didn't come so easily. The night was still and dark. There was no wind, yet a bitter chill lied over their "camp". Lilly found herself shaking because of the cold. She knew that she would never be able to sleep like this. She walked over to where Kili slept and nudged his shoulder. Fili was a few feet away from them snoring quietly (as quiet as can be for a dwarf snore), while Kili made no sound at all.

"Kili," she said softly as she shook his shoulder, "Please, wake up."

After a moment, Kili stirred in his sleep and rolled over facing away from her. Lilly continued to shake his shoulder harder, until he finally woke up.

"Wha…" he yawned, "What is it?"

"Kili," she said sweetly, "Can…can I stay with you?"

"What?" answered a half-awake Kili.

"It is cold and dark, and I do not want to be alone. Can I stay with you?"

"Oh…sure!" Kili said, waking up and realizing what she was asking, "Come here."

He shifted over slightly and let Lilly crawl in under the blanket he was using. She happily laid there next to him, as he wrapped the blanket closer around her petite form. Kili laid his head back down and drifted off to sleep again. Lilly used this opportunity to snuggle in closer to him. Being around Kili always comforted her, and cuddling close to him kept her feeling warm and safe. She closed her eyes and let sleep take over. She dreaded that this might be the last night she ever spent with Kili, but pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

The sun crept over the small camp, far earlier than Kili would have liked. He then remembered Lilly waking him up in the night. He looked to see her still snuggled into his arms with her head nuzzled into his neck. He smiled and wrapped his arms tighter around her. He loved the feeling of simply being able to hold her close, yet it stung his heart to know that it wouldn't last.

Before long, Fili woke and began to gather his things for the day's short trip. He went to wake Kili, but paused when he saw Lilly curled up next to him. It was strange to see that his own brother had grown this close to an elf, of all people. It's not that he didn't like Lilly, but this was different. This was…unnatural.

"Kili," Fili said as he whacked his brother's shoulder to wake him up.

Kili didn't move,

"I'm awake," Kili sighed sadly, still unmoving.

"Well, get up then! Trip's almost over and I-"

"Not getting up!" Kili fussed, interrupting his brother.

"What?" Fili asked, confused, "Come on! Get up!"

Kili pulled Lilly closer to him and nuzzled her hair.  
"Not getting up," he repeated.

"Kili! This is ridiculous. You know very well that sooner or later we have to go! She can't stay with us! She belongs with her people, and soon she'll belong with her husband! You can't keep her!"

Kili laid there silently for a while longer. After that, he carefully let go of Lilly, got up, and gathered his things. Lilly, feeling Kili leave, woke up and did the same.

The road carried an uncomfortable silence as they continued on toward their destination. The landscape slowly changed from mountainous rocks to grassier hills and young trees. The small group could tell that they were close to the elven lands in the hills. Walking over the last hill on the road, the valley came into sight. They had finally reached Rivendell.


	9. Chapter 8

**Hey, thanks for all the reads and reviews. Keep them coming! Here's the next chapter, so enjoy! You all are awesome! **

* * *

Imladris. Lilly had been waiting for this moment for so long. The valley laid before the cliff side that she stood upon. It was as breathtakingly beautiful as she had heard. Yet, she longed to know why the sight stung her heart as it did. Deep down, she already knew the answer. It was not the valley itself that pained her, but rather what it meant. As of now, it meant that her wedding was back on. It meant that her journey was over. It meant that she would now have to say goodbye to the friends that she had so quickly learned to love. She looked on at the path that laid before her, but could not muster the will to step forward. She had never before known what it felt like to have to say goodbye to a friend, for what would be forever.

"Well, there it is," Fili said, looking out at Rivendell with a satisfied half smile, "We'd best get you over there. You can be with your sister now!"

"Will you take me in to the city?" Lilly asked, turning toward the dwarves, "I do not wish to go alone."

"Sure," Fili agreed, "We'll make sure you meet up with your sister."

The entire day, Kili had remained speechless. He wanted not to be seen or heard. He stood there with quiet determination to let go of this little elf.

"You two go ahead. I'll wait here," he grumbled.

"You…you will not walk with me?" Lilly asked, tears pricking at her eyes, "Not even to see I get to my sister? I am sure that she would love to meet you both."

"No, Lilly. I will not come."

"Kili, it's only just inside the city," Fili shrugged, hoping nothing would come out of this whole mess, "I'm not pushing, but…she does want us both to go."

"I said no!" Kili snapped, in a surprisingly tense way.

"Please, Kili…" Lilly pleaded, taking Kili's hand into her own.

"No," He said, voice breaking as he spoke, "I won't go. I won't…I won't say goodbye."

Kili pulled his hand away, and dared not to look into Lilly's face.

"Then don't say goodbye," Lilly suggested, "Stay here for a while. You would be welcomed and we would have more time-"

"To what end, Lillaith?! We both know that will only make it harder! We got you to Rivendell. I have done my part. Now go!"

Lilly threw her arms around Kili and held tightly onto him as if her very life depended upon it. She could no longer hold the tears that had been threatening to escape her eyes, and they streamed slowly down her face.

"Please…don't go," she cried, "Don't leave me."

Kili's words failed him, and he simply wrapped his arm around her and returned her embrace.

"I love you…" she whispered between tears.

Kili's mind raced with reasons to stay, but he knew that sooner or later, he would have to leave any land of elves. He finally made up his mind and pulled back from Lilly ever so slightly. He tilted her chin up and looked into her tear filled eyes.

"Come away with me!" he said, before he had time to think the words over.

"What?!" Fili finally interjected, "Are you mad?!"

"Lilly, come away with me!" Kili pleaded, ignoring his brother's protests, "No one even knows we're here! We can leave now! We can just run and never look back! No one will ever know!"

"I'll know," Fili noted, "And sooner or later your families will know. Stop this foolishness now. Need I remind you that she's not only an elf princess, but that she's promised to marry another man!?"

"Brother, why are you saying this?" Kili questioned.

"I don't want to see you get hurt, Kili. This is madness," Fili said, hiding the doubt in his own words.

Fili knew how his protest would hurt Kili, but he feared that the alternative was to lose him. That was not an option.

"We'll make no rash decisions here," Kili sighed, "Not standing up here on a Cliffside. Come on. Perhaps it would be best if we all went into the city. We can figure this out another time."

Fili sighed and walked down the path ahead of them. Kili took hold of Lilly's delicate hand. His grasp was firm and reassuring.

"We'll figure it out," he repeated softly

When they entered the city, they were greeted by a dark haired elf. He welcomed them and told them that their visit had been expected. Preparations had already been made for their stay. Fili immediately headed for one of the guest quarters that had been set apart for the three of them. Kili, not letting go of her hand, walked Lilly to her room.

When they entered the large room, Lilly walked over to the bed an collapsed onto it. It felt like ages since she had slept in a real bed (despite the fact that it hadn't truly been long at all). Kili just sat quietly next to her. He placed his hand on the side of her face and gently brushed his thumb over her cheek. Some of the pain and worry that had been in her eyes just moments before began to fade. She slowly sat up to sit right next to him.

"Kili?" she asked.

"Yes." he said softly.

"Will you still take care of me?" she inquired sweetly.

"Yes," he repeated, with a soft smile.

"Promise?"

"I promise."


	10. Chapter 9

**Hey, everyone. So sorry that it took me so long to update. There have been technical issues lately. Anyway, enjoy this next part.**

* * *

Kili was woken up by someone thumping him on the back. He woke up to see Fili standing over him. Next to him, there was an empty place where Lilly had previously been curled up and sleeping peacefully. He noted to himself that he must have fallen asleep while they were sitting in Lilly's guest room.

"Lilly!" he panicked, sitting up and looking around for her.

"Relax! She's fine," Fili reassured him, "She went out for a walk. She'd have taken you along, but she said that you were tired and she didn't have the heart to wake you up."

Kili smiled to himself at that sweet thought.

"She went off and met Elrond's daughter. I…I forget her name. Anyway, they're off doing something now," Fili continued, "Meanwhile, we've been formally invited to dinner with Lord Elrond. So get cleaned up!"

"Speak for yourself," Kili laughed, examining his mud covered big brother.

"Just get cleaned up," Fili smirked, rolling his eyes.

He strolled out to leave Kili alone for a while.

"I'll get you when dinner's ready," Fili added, over his shoulder, on his way out.

"I can't go to dinner like this!" Lilly protested, gesturing to her torn, muddy dress and disastrous hair (as messy as an elleth's hair can get, anyway).

Arwen, the daughter of Elrond, laughed softly at Lilly's dramatic reaction.

"No, of course not," Arwen laughed, "Which is why you'll look like yourself again, come dinner time."

"What do you mean?" Lilly asked.

"Go off and get a bath," Arwen suggested, "Then meet me back here after."

"Oh, okay," Lilly agreed.

Lilly walked off, thrilled about the idea of actually being clean again. It's not so much that she hated the dirt, but she didn't like to be filthy in the company of all of these well composed elf Lords and Ladies. It felt very awkward to her.

After a long, hot bath, Lilly felt like a new person. She happily strolled back to the house that Arwen lived in, as instructed earlier. As soon as she walked in, she was led over in front of a mirror. Arwen held one dress after another in front of Lilly. After examining each, she would shake her head and set it aside.

"This should be easier. You are just so…small," Arwen noted, in a gentle way.

Lilly was given no choice but to wait there until the best dresses were selected.

"I…I like the blue one," Lilly commented.

Arwen nodded in agreement. The dress was a saphire blue fabris that had silver accents running through it. Arwen left to go an retrieve something that Lilly assumed was of some importance. Meanwhile, she tried on the blue gown. It fit her very well, aside from the fact that a small bit of it flowed onto the floor, due to Lilly's height. She made a mental note to lift the material slightly when she walked. Arwen then returned with a small box in her hand. From the box, she lifted a silver clasp that was crafted in the pattern of spring flowers. She used it to fasten Lilly's hair half up, and away from her face.

"There. Do you feel any better?"

"Oh, yes. Thank you," Lilly beamed, looking herself over in the mirror.

Arwen smiled approvingly at the now presentable, elvish princess.

Lilly walked back to the guest rooms to find Fili and Kili. Fili sat outside the rooms. He was awaiting any news about dinner, and just enjoying the quiet for a while. He was no longer as covered in mud as before, and his braids had been redone neatly. Lilly supposed that, for a dwarf, that was cleaned up. He gave her a pleasant smile as she passed by. She went straight into Kili's room, knowing that he wouldn't mind her there. New clothes had been offered to Kili, but had just been skimmed through and tossed into a pile on the floor. Lilly rolled her eyes, and absentmindedly picked them up and folded them. She placed the folded stack onto the end of Kili's bed. From the stack, she pulled a black tunic. It was, like her own clothing, trimmed with silver. The silver here, however, looked very intense against the black material. The pattern itself was not as flowery as other elf-make tunics were, and it had a very regal look to it. She then picked a pair of grey pants and set the items next to the stack of other clothing. The clothes, she noted, had all been tailored to nearly fit Kili.

A door opened behind her, and Kili walked in roughly running a towel over his hair. Lilly looked over her shoulder at him. He wore the same dirty pants, boots, and under tunic as before, but his face was cleaner and his hair was still dripping wet. It looked even messier wet than it did before. She didn't know why, but Lilly couldn't help but smile at the sight. She looked back at the outfit she'd picked and threw it over her shoulder at him. Not paying very much attention, Kili was startled by thrown into him.

"What's this?" he asked.

"It is what you are wearing to dinner," Lilly stated simply.

Kili let out what sounded like both a laugh and a scoff.

"Yeah, that's going to happen," he remarked sarcastically.

Lilly turned back at him, raised her eyebrow, and crossed her arms. Not five minutes later, Kili was wearing the elf made outfit and grumbling to himself. Lilly looked him over, very pleased with herself.

"I can't believe you're making me wear this," Kili grumbled under his breath.

"I like it!" LIlly said happily, "Kili?"

"Yes?" Kili sighed.

"Why don't you braid your hair like Fili does…?"

"I don't want to," he lied, nervously.

After watching Lilly's face for a moment, Kili knew she wasn't buying it.

"I…I can't," Kili muttered, "I don't know how…"

"Then, may I?" Lilly asked sweetly.

Kili just nodded stubbornly. Lilly happily meddled with the messy waves of his hair until she was happy with the way it looked. She wrapped two braids around each side that met in the back. She used the dwarves clasp that Kili already used to fasten them there. This pulled all the scruffy-looking hair away from his face.

"I don't like it…" Kili whined.

"Oh…why not?" Lilly inquired, irritated by his disapproval.

"Makes my ears look funny…"

"Kili, your ears already look funny," Lilly laughed, pulling gently on one of his ears.

Kili just grumbled and accepted that he had lost this argument already. It was right then that Fili chose to stroll in and announce that it was indeed time for dinner.


	11. Chapter 10

**Hey, everyone. Sorry that it took so long to update. Please read, enjoy, and review! Thanks!**

* * *

The dinner started off very quietly, and an awkward tension hung in the air. Musicians played quietly, as was usual for this time of day, and some of the elves at the long table engaged in quiet conversation. Any conversation that occurred, however, was in elvish. The dwarves grew frustrated at this, because it took away any idea of what was going on around them. Lilly sat quietly and picked at her food with a fork, never actually eating any of it. Kili sat next to her, and Fili next to him. Fili sat grumbling to himself about elves. Kili just sat silent and unmoving. He gazed down at the edge of the table and said nothing for the longest time. Lilly started to speak at one point, but decided that it was a lost cause.

"Not hungry?" Kili asked quietly, breaking the silence.

"Not particularly, no," Lilly sighed, as she picked up a piece of bread and just looked at it.

"You have to eat something," Kili said in a concerned way.

Lilly took a small bite of the bread and then looked at Kili.

"Not what I meant," Kili said, smiling softly.

"Then why aren't you eating?" Lilly said, changing the subject.

Kili looked at the elvish banquet ahead of them.

"Do elves ever eat meat?" he asked staring sadly at lack of good food.

"In my home they do…sometimes," Lilly said.

"I'll make a deal with you," Kili grinned, "If you eat something, then I'll try this…'food'. Fair enough?"

"Okay," Lilly smiled.

She ate more of the bread in her hands, until she had finished it. Kili, meanwhile, ate whatever food that he remotely recognized as such.

"Not too bad," he lied, to make Lilly happy.

A snicker could be heard from Fili, but they stopped paying heed to his commentary since he told Kili how awful he looked in the elf make clothing.

"You don't seem terribly happy," Kili remarked, "I thought you wanted to be here. A few days ago you would have given anything to be at a banquet here."

"I know," Lilly sighed, "But…being here just means that it won't be long until time to leave. Having to leave is all I can think about. It worries me."

"Lilly, look at me," Kili chuckled, "Everything is going to be just fine. Trust me."

Kili knew that he was lying to her about this. He truly had no idea what was going to happen, and at the moment, he didn't care. All he wanted was for Lilly to be happy for a while longer.

"Do you really mean that?" Lilly asked.

"Yeah."

Lilly placed her hand in his, as if nervously looking for reassurance. Kili just smiled and encouraged her to eat more. He said that if they were to leave soon, she would need the strength for traveling.

Dinner lasted for far too long. The elves continued to converse in their own language while their guests sat quietly at the other end of the table. Lilly would point out a few words of their conversation to assure Fili that they weren't saying anything rude or insulting to the dwarves. She had been trying to teach Kili and Fili a few words of the language, so they could see for themselves that the elves meant no harm, but Fili showed no interest in learning anything about the elves. Kili took some interest, but forgot the majority of what she taught him.

A figure appeared behind them and gracefully took a seat next to Lilly. The dwarves looked at the stranger suspiciously, but Lilly knew exactly who it was.

"Glorfindel!" Lilly said happily, upon seeing him.

"Mae Govannen, little one," he said gently, smiling slightly.

Lilly gave a happy smile to her friend. Glorfindel was an elf-lord that was an old friend of Lillaith's sisters. He spent so much time with her family that she just though of him as another brother that she didn't see quite as often. She hugged him they had a conversation in some form of elvish. Kili and Fili sat there, irritated at the "Manners" of the elves. Kili loudly cleared his throat to gain Lilly's attention.

"Oh, sorry," Lilly giggle, "Fili, Kili, this is Glorfindel. He is a good friend of my family! Glorfindel, this is Fili and Kili. They helped me get here!"

Glorfindel nodded politely, while Kili and Fili just glanced at him uneasily. He had a very powerful and regal feel to him, as an elf. Fili and Kili stayed silent as if not to create an issue with him…or anyone else at present.

"Lillaith, your family has been terrified for you! They thought you had been lost!" Glorfindel explained with relief lacing his voice, "Your father will be overjoyed to know that you are safe!"

"Is my sister still in Rivendell?" Lilly asked casually.

"Yes. Though…she would not come to dinner. She has been to worried to have much of an appetite. I did tell her that she should come, because here you are."

"Oh, I would love to see her!" Lilly said, excitedly.

"For now, I'll leave you to inform her that you are safe. I shall bring her to you later."

"Alright!" Lilly agreed.

Just as silently and suddenly as he had appeared, the elf left the table.

"I bet she'll love you meet you two!" Lilly said, turning toward Kili and Fili.

They laughed nervously.

"Yeah…I really don't think so," Fili noted.

"Why not? You're my friends! I love you both, so why shouldn't she?"

Fili cast a knowing glance at Kili.

"It's just…so far, you're the only elf that does like us," Kili admitted.

"And the other way around!" Fili added bitterly.

"Oh…why is that?" Lilly asked.

"Wow….you really don't get out much, do you?" Fili asked.

In response to this, he received Kili's elbow to his ribs.

"It's really nothing!" he lied, as Fili cringed, "I'd love to meet your sister!"

"It's official," Fili sighed, "You're either insane…or you have a death wish!"

"Wonderful!" Lilly smiled, "She'd probably love to know about our adventure too!"

"That trip doesn't quite qualify as an adventure. It wasn't all that exciting or dangerous," Fili said, sounding like he had hoped it would have been more dangerous.

"Oh…it was exciting to me…" Lilly said shyly.

"Me too!" Kili said, just to make her feel better, "And it's really going to be an adventure meeting some of your family! Nothing says fun like elvish royalty."

Fili snickered and shook his head, Neither of them were looking forward to meeting any more elves! It was clear that Fili just wanted to leave Rivendell as quickly as possible. Kili was willing to deal with Rivendell, as long as Lilly was happy, but even he didn't want to be there for this long. The two had a feeling that this long dinner would turn into a very long night.


	12. Chapter 11

**Hey, all. So sorry that the updates are taking forever. I've been really busy, but plan on updating more very soon. Thank you for your patience! **

** ~Mischief's Angel**

* * *

Later in the evening, the dwarves and Lilly found themselves sitting around a small fire on one of the many stone patios of the building they stayed in. Fili sat contently smoking his pipe while Kili and Lilly talked and told stories. It was these nights that were always Lilly's favorites.

"So, then," Kili continued with his story, "He looks up and sees that everyone at the inn is staring at him. So he pauses for a minute and says 'Well then, that's definitely the last time I insult a boar!'."

Lilly almost fell over laughing.

"Did that all really happen?" she asked.

"Just like that, it did!" Fili added in.

"It was hysterical!" Kili chimed in, with his usual bright smile.

"I can't believe that!" Lilly laughed.

Lilly reached over to the little table that stood behind her and took a small piece of fruit from a bowl that say on it. She ate it quickly and contently.

"Your turn, Lilly," Kili said happily.

"Oh," Lilly started, "I do not really have any stories. Not any interesting ones anyway."

"Well….we could do something else for a while," Kili suggested.

Due to lack of ideas, the three sat in silence for some time. The only sounds that could be heard were the crackling of the fire and the soft sound of elvish song that resounded from the main hall nearby.

"This elvish tune bores me!" Fili complained.

"Well…why don't you teach me one from your home!" Lilly happily suggested.

"Oh…no thanks!" Kili laughed, "We're not exactly singers."

"It couldn't hurt," Fili said.

"Oh, Please Kili!" Lilly pleaded.

Lilly sweetly asking for anything was Kili's biggest weakness. She would look over at him and bat her eyes as she pleaded. There wasn't anything he could do, but say yes.

"Oh, alright!" Kili gave in.

For a while after, Kili and Fili sang a folk song that they'd known since they were young. It went back in forth from Kazdul to common tongue throughout the song. Lilly clapped along to the song and laughed happily. She loved it. On one of the exaggerated lyrics, Kili toppled over backwards and started laughing as Fili picked up the song. Lilly giggled and moved over behind Kili. She sat next to him, lifted his head, and set it up on her lap. The song continued until Fili decided it should end, and he stopped singing. Lilly was too caught up in playing with Kili's hair to notice the lack of tune. Kili noticed however. He looked over at Fili, who was looking up from his seat at a tall elf woman standing there. She bared a slight resemblance to Lilly, but it wasn't a great one.

"Lilly!" she called over happily.

"Alassea!" Lilly called back.

Lilly moved to go toward the elf, but Kili had instinctively taken her arm. She didn't want to pull away from him, so she stayed where she was. She knew the dwarves were naturally defensive and did not intend to challenge that. The elf woman looked at the two dwarves with a confused look.

"Oh," Lilly started, "Alassea, these are my friends, Fili and Kili."

Alassea stood silently, as if trying to make sense of the previous statement.

"This is my sister, Alassea!" Lilly said happily to the dwarves.

Lilly didn't quite understand why this was followed with a severely awkward silence. Fili stood silently, and Kili gave a forced smile and made a not so subtle movement closer to Lilly. Lilly told her sister all about how the dwarves had rescued her after the goblin attack, and about everything else that happened.

"And then…" Lilly continued.

"Lillaith," her sister interrupted, "We were all so worried for you. I am so glad you are safe!"

Alassea hugged her sister happily.

"Your brother is on his way to Rivendell now. Everyone has been looking for you! We will wait here until he arrives. It will be a nice place to stay for a few days longer," Alassea sighed, "Then we can take you to Celondim ourselves."

It was visible in her face that Lilly's heart sank. She looked around, as if looking for a way out of this discussion. Fili shrugged and Kili gave her a sympathetic look.

"Alassea," Lilly sighed, "I am not going to Celondim."

"What?"

"I am not going to get married."

"What do you mean? Father said-"

"I know what father said, and I know what you would all ask of me, but I'm afraid my answer is the same. No, I will not marry," Lilly continued, "I have my entire life to think about, and I will not give it away…not so easily."

"Lillaith, this is your duty to our father."

"No, this is my duty to a crown," Lilly protested, "If he truly cared about being my father, then he would never dream of making me do this."

"Lillaith!" Alassea shouted, surprised at her sister's change of attitude, "This is childish. You will do this. If not, then what would you do? Where would you go?"

"Anywhere I wanted," Lilly said almost dreamily, "I could go on adventures all the time and see all new places!"

"You do not know what it is you are saying, sister. It is not commonly a good thing to see new places. In times like this, those lands grow dark and dangerous."

"Not all of them! I would be fine!" Lilly continued.

"Your sister's right," Fili cut in. "Many of them are dangerous."

"That's why you need us to come along," Kili added.

"Now this has gone from childish to mad," Alassea pointed out.

"That's the fun part," Kili noted, "If it wasn't insane, it'd be boring."


	13. Chapter 12

**Hey, sorry that it took so long to update this time. I will try to update more frequently soon. **

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The argument settled out with Lilly turning and walking away from her agitated sister. Kili, naturally, followed to make sure she was alright. The next morning came far too slowly for all of them. It came the slowest for Kili. He found little sleep in Rivendell, and worrying about Lilly didn't help that. Every time that he gave into sleep, he would see the sight of spiders, webs, dark forests, and goblins. The thought of any of those things coming within a league of Lillaith infuriated him to know end.

Kili tried staying awake, to avoid those dreams. But, after some time, he was to tired to fight off the exhaustion. The elvish guest room slowly faded away into a peaceful darkness. The peace was, as always, only temporary.

Kili was startled awake by Lilly screaming. He looked around at his surroundings. His vision was hazed. Rather than laying in a bed in Rivendell, he was on a stone floor in a dark room. A room that he slowly began to remember. He was in the elvish prison that he had been an unwelcome guest in years before.

"Mirkwood?" he questioned to himself, as if trying to make sense of it.

He heard Lilly scream yet again. She sounded terrified, as thought she was crying for help. Kili instantly sprang up and ran to the cell door. It was locked. There were no guards present, so Kili would have to find his own means of escape. Before he could come up with a plan, the door slowly swung open.

"That's…remarkably unsettling," Kili said under his breath.

He bolted out of the cell and ran toward where Lilly's screaming was coming from. He found himself at the door to the Throne room of Mirkwood. He took a deep breath before entering. To his great relief, the king was not there. Lilly sat at the base of the throne crying. She was wearing a pale green, elvish wedding gown, and it looked as thought the main hall had been set up for a wedding.

"Lilly!" Kili called.

He quickly ran over to her, but as he reached out to her she disappeared. The room changed. It was suddenly bright and full of people. It appeared to be in the midst of a party. Laughter and music replaced the crying. Thranduil now sat on his throne, yet he didn't notice Kili. In fact…no one noticed Kili. He heard Lilly's familiar laughter, and looked to find her dancing. She was dancing with a fair elf lord that looked to be of some importance. She still wore a wedding gown, which greatly unsettled Kili.

"Lilly!" he called out again.

She didn't hear him. She just laughed, danced, and continued on with the celebration. He walked over to her, and stood within five feet of her, but no one noticed her was there.

"Lilly!" he called out again.

Nothing.

Kili woke very suddenly and sat up. He was sitting on his guest bed in Rivendell. He had obviously figured that it was a dream, but that didn't make it less upsetting to him. A there was a continued knocking on the door. Kili figured that wonderful noise was what woke him up. He walked over to the door and pulled it open. Fili walked in as soon as the door unlatched and gave Kili a flat look.

"What's that face for?" Kili yawned.

"For waking me up by screaming "Lilly"…" Fili noted dryly.

"You…you heard that, huh?"

"I don't know anyone in Rivendell that didn't!"

"I'm sorry," Kili said quietly, "It was nothing. Just a dream."

Before the older dwarf could say anything, Kili pushed past him and walked down the hall. He had a solemn, thinking look, which wasn't generally usual for him. He made his way to Lilly's room and gently knocked on the door. When no one answered, he decided to push the door open and go in anyway.

Lilly was peacefully sleeping. The sun, that had just now come up, peered through the windows and lit the room. Kili just looked down at the little elf, that all but disappeared on the massive bed she was given, and smiled. He brushed her hair away from her face gently.

"How could you possibly mean so much to me?" he sighed quietly.

He leaned his forehead against the bedpost and just stood there.


	14. Chapter 13

**Hello to all of my amazing readers. I am terribly sorry that it took this long to update. I have had a crazy schedule, and feel awful for not posting more of my fic. Anyway, here's the next segment. Please enjoy and leave me some comments. Thanks!**

**~ Mischief's Angel**

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Fili stood in the doorway silently and unnoticed. He was deeply confused by the relationship his little brother had with this elf. He just assumed that he would probably never know exactly what it was about her that kept Kili's attention. She wasn't as wise as the older elves, she wasn't strong like a warrior, she wasn't a skilled craftsman, and she certainly wasn't a hunter. No, she was small and innocent. She was Lilly, and that was it.

He sighed and knew a conversation was in order. He never enjoyed questioning his brother (not seriously anyway), but this…this was just unnatural.

"Kili," he said quietly, "Can we talk?"

The two wandered back to Kili's room and took seats on the balcony. Before Fili could say anything about Lilly, Kili took a deep breath.

"Fili…I want to go home," he said, his voice breaking.

"Why?"

"It was that dream," Kili sighed.

He explained the dream to his brother, and sat quietly while Fili though about it for a minute.

"What do you suppose it means?" Fili asked.

"It means I've been an idiot," Kili said, "I should never have gotten us involved in this. We did what we set out to do. Now, we can go home and forget this ever happened."

"Why do you say that?" Fili asked.

"Because, she'll forget us…" Kili choked out, "She'll go home, and it'll hurt her to have to go back. But, she'll realize it's the best, and she'll forget us. She'll forget I exist."

"So, you're just going to give up and let this happen?"

"Yes."

"Why?" Fili asked, now more confused than ever.

"Because it's what I want her to do. I don't get to walk out of this with the beautiful princess. That's not how it works. If only one of us can walk out happy, I want it to be her."

"This is so crazy it's insane, but I honestly think it's supposed to work," Fili admitted, "I'm not saying I like my little brother swooning over an elf, but…you've never been so happy."

"I've never been so confused."

"That too…" Fili laughed weakly.

"She doesn't belong with me. She needs to go home. She'll be safe and happy with her own family…her own race."

"She won't want to leave you, Kili. She's proven that."

"That's the hardest part. I have to make her want to leave me…"

There was a quiet knock on the door. Before anyone responded to it, the door creaked open and Lilly peeked around it. Kili faked the best smile he could and waved her over to him. She quickly came over and sat by Kili. Kili looked at the sweet blue eyes that happily looked at him. No…there was no way this was going to be easy.

"Good morning," she chimed happily.

Kili smiled warmly at her, and Fili just let out a low sigh.

"Another long and complicated day…" he groaned.

"Kili," Lilly beamed, ignoring Fili's pessimism, "Can we go for a walk today?"

Fili nodded "no" to his brother, and gestured for him to let go. Kili looked back and fourth between the two before giving in.

"Sure…that sounds nice!" he said, disguising his hesitation.

Lilly happily walked down one of the winding paths of Imladris. Kili hesitantly drug his feet along the path behind her. How was he to get her to leave if he couldn't so much as say "no" to her?

"Women are just too complicated…" he groaned to himself.

He finally caught up to Lilly when she stopped at a waterfall. The small fall led into a crystal blue pool. She said down by the edge of the pool and ran her fingers across the smooth surface.

"It's so beautiful here!" she chimed happily.

"I suppose so," Kili shrugged as he sat down beside her.

He stared into their reflections and watched the water settle. The reflection wasn't that of an elf princess and a messy dwarf, as he'd expected. It was a boy and a girl sitting together. It suddenly didn't matter what they were. Just that they were there. He smiled weakly, and ran a hand through the water. The image quickly disappeared.

"Lilly," he said, turning his head to talk to her.

He was quickly cut off by a gentle kiss from the elf. She giggled and smiled brightly. Kili just sat in partial shock for a moment. There was no way he was ever going to be able to move on after this. He loved this little elf, and, at the moment, for that…he hated her.


	15. Chapter 14

**Hello, all. I am so sorry for my seriously delayed update. Please read and review. I will be updating again soon. Thanks a bunch for your patience. **

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]When word had traveled to Mirkwood of Lillaith's disappearance, Thranduil had quickly dispatched troops to go and seek out any remaining troops from the escort. There were no signs of Lillaith aside from a sighting from a few rangers that claimed to have seen her. Word was also sent to Beriadan of Cellondim that his betrothed had gone missing in the mountains. Little did Lillaith know, her fiancé had joined the search effort and was presently on his way to Rivendell with one of Thranduil's most trusted soldiers, Orolon. They also brought with them the kings oldest daughter, Caladhiel.

Meanwhile in Rivendell, Lilly happily pushed the idea of her engagement to the back of her mind. She had far better things to worry about. For example: why Kili had been deliberately avoiding her ever since she had kissed him. Every time that she found where he was hiding out, he had an excuse as to why he was there or he quickly escaped. Whenever she asked Fili what he thought, he would shrug and ask her not to drag him into it.

Finally, Lilly was able to follow Kili to his next hiding location. He quietly sat behind the main stable with his pipe lazily hanging from his mouth. He didn't hear her approaching, so she was able to sneak up beside him.

"Kili!" she shouted, when she had gotten really close.

The noise startled the un-alert dwarf so much that he jumped and fell off of the barrel he was sitting on, as the pipe flew the other direction. Lilly giggled and picked up the pipe.

"Why would you do that?!" Kili gasped, still startled.

"Sorry," she laughed, as she handed the pipe back to Kili, "I've been looking for you all day, but you keep avoiding me. Have I done something?"

"Well, you managed to stop my heart for a few seconds while I was trying to thing," he replied, standing up and brushing himself off.

"But did I do something before that?"

"No."

"Then why are you avoiding me?" Lilly fussed, "I do not understand."

"I'm just trying to think!" Kili answered, "That is apparently very difficult when you're around!"

"Oh…" Lilly's face sank into a sad expression, "Do you want me to go…?"

"Of course I don't want you to go, but your being here doesn't help either!"

"What are you thinking about? Maybe I could help," Lilly offered innocently.

"I was thinking of ways to get out of situations like the one I am currently in," Kili sighed.

"What do you mean by that?" Lilly asked.

"Don't take this the wrong way," Kili said, before taking off around the corner of the stable and disappearing.

"Kili!" Lilly called after him.

No answer.

She ran around the corner and her cycle of searching for him began again. After some time, she began to grow very frustrated by his lack of attention that she finally gave up and ran back to her guest room. When she arrived at the guest room, Kili was standing outside the front doors.

"Hello," he said, smiling weakly.

Lilly didn't answer. Kili pulled out the flowers that he was holding behind his back and attempted another weak smile. Lilly just paused there.

"I'm sorry for avoiding you," he said shyly.

Lilly still didn't answer. She ran inside of her room and out onto the balcony. She collapsed onto the balcony floor and just sat there. Kili walked over to her slowly.

"Lilly?" he said calmly.

Lilly sat there while a few tears fell down her face. Kili sat next to her and put an arm around her.

"I didn't mean to upset you," he sighed, offering her the flowers once again.

They weren't the most beautiful flowers ever, but Lilly took them and held onto them as if her life depended on it.

"I want to be mad at you," she sobbed quietly.

"Umm…why?" Kili asked cautiously.

"Because you hurt my feelings," Lilly explained, "I want to be mad at you, but I simply cannot stay mad!"

"I know the feeling," he muttered.

He then wrapped his other arm around her as well, and held her for a while.

"I need to tell you the truth about why I didn't want to talk to you," Kili sighed.

Lilly looked up at him and he wiped the tears off of her face, as he had done so many times before.

"Part of me knows that you will have to leave here, and I certainly don't belong here! But that means that sooner or later, I have to hear you say goodbye. I'm afraid to say goodbye to you. I don't want to go through that, so the best idea I could think of was to not talk to you at all. Then there wouldn't be a goodbye."

"Well," Lilly started, "Maybe people shouldn't ever say goodbye. Maybe they should just say hello instead."

She smiled a little to try and cheer Kili up, but he knew that there would still be a time when Rivendell would be far behind him. For now, he would keep waiting for the worst.


End file.
